Your Bible Questions
Answered On:What Will Happen to the
Wicked
InHellfire - Is There an
Eternal Hell?

• WILL there come a day of destruction for the wicked?

"That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath." Job 21:30.

•
How will they
be destroyed?"Thou shalt
make them as a
fiery oven
in the time of thine
anger: the LORD
shall swallow them
up in his wrath,
and the fire
shall devour them."
Psalms 21:9.

•
What will happen
to evildoers?"For evildoers
shall be cut off:
but those that wait
upon the LORD, they
shall inherit the
earth." Psalms 37:9.

•
What will happen
to the wicked?"For yet a little
while, and the
wicked shall not
be: yea, thou
shalt diligently
consider his place,
and it shall
not be." Psalms
37:10.

•
Will the wicked
go on living throughout
eternity?"But the
wicked shall perish,
and the enemies
of the LORD shall
be as the fat of
lambs: they shall
consume; into smoke
shall they consume
away." Psalms
37:20.

•
So the wicked
will be destroyed
and not burn forever?"But the transgressors
shall be destroyed
together: the
end of the wicked
shall be cut off."
Psalms 37:38.

•
But doesn't
"cut off" only mean
they will be separated
from God?"As smoke is
driven away, so
drive them away:
as wax melteth before
the fire, so let
the wicked perish
at the presence
of God." Psalms
68:2.

•
So then this
must mean that the
wicked will be no
more or consumed?"Let the
sinners be consumed
out of the earth,
and let the wicked
be no more.
Bless thou the LORD,
O my soul. Praise
ye the LORD." Psalms
104:35.

•
So there will
be a final destruction
of the wicked, they
will not burn in
hell for eternity?"The LORD preserveth
all them that love
him: but all
the wicked will
he destroy."
Psalms 145:20.

•
What method
will God use to
destroy the wicked?"Behold, they
shall be as stubble;
the fire shall
burn them; they
shall not deliver
themselves from
the power of the
flame: there
shall not be a coal
to warm at, nor
fire to sit before
it." Isaiah 47:14.

•
But I thought
the soul never dies?"Behold, all
souls are mine;
as the soul of the
father, so also
the soul of the
son is mine: the
soul that sinneth,
it shall die."
Ezekiel 18:4.

•
Will the wicked
be burned up completely?"Thou hast defiled
thy sanctuaries
by the multitude
of thine iniquities,
by the iniquity
of thy traffic;
therefore will I
bring forth a fire
from the midst of
thee, it shall devour
thee, and I will
bring thee to ashes
upon the earth in
the sight of all
them that behold
thee." Ezekiel
28:18.

•
So they will
cease to exist?
"All they that
know thee among
the people shall
be astonished at
thee: thou shalt
be a terror, and
never shalt thou
be any more."
Ezekiel 28:19.

•
How does God
feel about the final
destruction of the
wicked?"Say unto them,
As I live, saith
the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure
in the death of
the wicked;
but that the wicked
turn from his way
and live: turn ye,
turn ye from your
evil ways; for why
will ye die, O house
of Israel?" Ezekiel
33:11.

•
So after the
destruction of the
wicked, sin will
never rise up again?"What do ye
imagine against
the LORD? he will
make an utter end:
affliction shall
not rise up the
second time.
For while they be
folden together
as thorns, and while
they are drunken
as drunkards, they
shall be devoured
as stubble fully
dry." Nahum 1:9-10.

•
How complete
will the final destruction
of the wicked be?
"For, behold,
the day cometh,
that shall burn
as an oven; and
all the proud, yea,
and all that do
wickedly, shall
be stubble: and
the day that
cometh shall burn
them up, saith
the LORD of hosts,
that it shall
leave them neither
root nor branch."
Malachi 4:1.

•
Does the New
Testament talk about
the destruction
of the wicked?"Enter ye in at
the strait gate:
for wide is the
gate, and broad
is the way, that
leadeth to destruction,
and many there be
which go in thereat:"
Matthew 7:13

•
Does the New
Testament speak
about the soul dieing?"And fear not them
which kill the body,
but are not able
to kill the soul:
but rather fear
him which is able
to destroy both
soul and body in
hell."
Matthew 10:28.

•
When will all
of this take place?"As therefore the
tares are gathered
and burned in the
fire; so shall
it be in the end
of this world."
Matthew 13:40.

•
Matthew 25:41
speaks of "everlasting
fire" for the wicked.
Does it go out?"Then shall he say
also unto them on
the left hand, Depart
from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting
fire, prepared
for the devil and
his angels:"
Matthew 25:41.?NOTE:Yes, according
to the Bible, it
does. We must let
the Bible explain
itself. Sodom and
Gomorrah were destroyed
with everlasting,
or eternal, fire
and that fire turned
them "into ashes"
as a warning to
"those that after
should live ungodly."
"Even as Sodom and
Gomorrha, and the
cities about them
in like manner,
giving themselves
over to fornication,
and going after
strange flesh, are
set forth for
an example, suffering
the vengeance of
eternal fire."
Jude 1:7.
"And turning the
cities of Sodom
and Gomorrha into
ashes condemned
them with an overthrow,
making them an
ensample unto those
that after should
live ungodly;"
2 Peter 2:6.
These cities are
not burning today.
The fire went out
after everything
was burned up. Likewise,
everlasting fire
will go out after
it has turned the
wicked to ashes.
"And ye shall tread
down the wicked;
for they shall
be ashes under the
soles of your feet
in the day that
I shall do this,
saith the LORD of
hosts." Malachi
4:3.
The effects of the
fire are everlasting,
but not the burning
itself.

•
Doesn't
Matthew 25:46 say
the wicked will
receive "everlasting
punishment"?"And these shall
go away into everlasting punishment:
but the righteous
into life eternal."
Matthew 25:46.NOTE:
Notice the word
is punishment,
not punishing.
Punishing would
be continuous, while
punishment is one
act. The punishment
of the wicked is
death, and
this death is everlasting.
Nowhere in Scripture
will you find that
the wicked will
receive eternal
life, only the righteous.

•
What will happen
to the saved?"For God so loved
the world, that
he gave his only
begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth
in him should not
perish, but have
everlasting life."
John 3:16.

•
What are the
wages of sin according
to the book of Romans?"For the
wages of sin is
death; but the
gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
Romans 6:23.

•
What will happen
to the devil, will
he be destroyed
also?"Forasmuch then
as the children
are partakers of
flesh and blood,
he also himself
likewise took part
of the same; that through death
he might destroy
him that had the
power of death,
that is, the devil;"
Hebrews 2:14.
"Thine heart was lifted up
because of thy beauty, thou hast
corrupted thy wisdom by reason
of thy brightness: I will cast
thee to the ground, I will lay
they before kings, that they may
behold thee. Thou hast defiled
thy sanctuaries by the multitude
of thine iniquities, by the
iniquity of they traffick;
therefore I will bring forth a
fire from the midst of thee, it
shall devour thee, and I will
bring thee to ashes upon the
earth in the sight of all them
that behold thee." Ezekiel
28:17,18.

•
Why is it impossible
for sinners to be
in the presence
of God?"For our
God is a consuming
fire." Hebrews
12:29.

•
What example
does the Bible use
to show that God
will destroy the
wicked by fire?"And turning
the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrha into
ashes condemned
them with an overthrow,
making them an ensample
unto those that
after should live
ungodly;" 2 Peter
2:6.

•
Where will
this fire occur
which destroys the
wicked?"But the
heavens and the
earth, which are
now, by the same
word are kept in
store, reserved
unto fire against
the day of judgment
and perdition of
ungodly men." 2
Peter 3:7.

•
Doesn't God
want us to repent?"The Lord is
not slack concerning
his promise, as
some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not
willing that any
should perish, but
that all should
come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9.

•
What will happen
to the whole earth?"But the day
of the Lord will
come as a thief
in the night; in
the which the heavens
shall pass away
with a great noise,
and the elements
shall melt with
fervent heat,
the earth also
and the works that
are therein shall
be burned up."
2 Peter 3:10.

•
Doesn't Jude 1:7 talk about
eternal fire?"Even as Sodom and
Gomorrha, and the cities about
them in like manner, giving
themselves over to fornication,
and going after strange flesh,
are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of
eternal fire." Jude 1:7.
These cities are not burning
today. The fire went out after
everything was burned up.
Likewise, everlasting fire will
go out after it has turned the
wicked to ashes.

•
If we miss
out on the first
resurrection, will
we have a "second
chance"?"Blessed and
holy is he that
hath part in the
first resurrection:
on such the second
death hath no power,
but they shall be
priests of God and
of Christ, and shall
reign with him a
thousand years."
Revelation 20:6.

•
Where will
the fire come from?"And they went
up on the breadth
of the earth, and
compassed the camp
of the saints about,
and the beloved
city: and fire
came down from God
out of heaven, and
devoured them."
Revelation 20:9.

•
What is the
second death?"And death
and hell were cast
into the lake of
fire. This is
the second death."
Revelation 20:14.

•
Are there any
more verses that
talk about the second
death?"But the fearful,
and unbelieving,
and the abominable,
and murderers, and
whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall
have their part
in the lake which
burneth with fire
and brimstone: which
is the second death."
Revelation 21:8.

•
What about
the verse in Revelation
20:10 where it talks
about the devil,
the beast and false
prophet being tormented
for ever and ever.
Doesn't that show
that hell fire is
forever or eternal?"And the devil
that deceived them
was cast into the
lake of fire and
brimstone, where
the beast and the
false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and
ever." Revelation
20:10. NOTE:
The term "for ever,"
as used in the Bible,
means simply a period
of time, limited
or unlimited. It
is used 56 times
in the Bible in
connection with
things that have
already ended.*
It is like
the word "tall,"
which means something
different in describing
men, trees, or mountains.
In Jonah 2:6, "for
ever" means "three
days and nights."
"I went down
to the bottoms of
the mountains; the
earth with her bars
was about me for
ever: yet hast
thou brought up
my life from corruption,
O LORD my God."
Jonah 2:6. (See
also Jonah 1:17.)
In Deuteronomy 23:3,
this means "10 generations."
In the case of man,
this means "as long
as he lives" or
"until death." (See
1 Samuel 1:22,28;
Exodus 21:6; Psalm
48:14.) So the wicked
will burn in the
fire as long as
they live, or until
death. This fiery
punishment for sin
will vary according
to the degree of
sins for each individual,
but after the punishment,
the fire will go
out. The teaching
of eternal torment
has done more to
drive people to
atheism and insanity
than any other invention
of the devil. It
is slander upon
the loving character
of a tender, gracious
heavenly Father
and has done untold
harm to the Christian
cause.*To check
in a concordance,
look up the word
"ever".